One lucky New Jersey lottery player was won of five players nationwide to win million-dollar prizes in Tuesday’s Mega Millions.

Tickets sold in Indiana, New Jersey and Oregon won $1 million, while tickets from Connecticut and Virginia had the Megaplier to win $4 million each, according to the Mega Millions website. 

It was not immediately known where in New Jersey the million-dollar ticket was sold.

Meanwhile, no one won the jackpot so the grand prize will climb to an estimated $306 million with a cash option of $143.8 million.

The jackpot was last won on June 4 when a lottery player in Illinois won $552 million – the ninth largest Mega Millions ever.

What are the 7/23/24 winning Mega Millions numbers?

Here are the Mega Millions winning numbers for Tuesday, July 23, 2024: 3 – 9 – 14 – 26 – 51 and Megaball 21. The Megaplier was 4x

Looking for an edge? These Mega Millions numbers are drawn the most

When is next Mega Millions drawing?

Mega Millions drawings are held every Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m.

More: $1.35 billion Mega Millions winner sues mother of his child for disclosing jackpot win

How do I play Mega Millions?

The cost is $2 per ticket, but you can add the Megaplier for $1, which will increase the amount of your potential prize up to five times the original prize (except for the jackpot).

Each player selects five numbers from 1 to 70 for the white balls and one number from 1 to 25 for the Mega Ball. However, you can also have the lottery machine generate a random Quick Pick for you. You don’t need to be a U.S. citizen or a resident of a particular state where you purchase your ticket.

More: ‘It still doesn’t feel real’ – New York man claims $476M Mega Millions jackpot

How many balls do I need to match for Mega Millions prize?

You can win $2 for the matching just one – the Mega Ball. Short of the jackpot, you can win up to $1 million for matching all five white balls (except in California). You can check all the prize payouts on the Mega Millions site here.

Beware: No, a lottery jackpot winner isn’t giving you money. How to spot a scammer

Where is the Mega Millions available?

You can play the game in 45 states plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The states not offering Mega Millions are: Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah.

Lucky? These are the states with the most Mega Millions jackpot winners

Where can you buy lottery tickets?  

Tickets can be purchased in-person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets. 

You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Washington D.C. and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer.  

NJ lottery: Where does all the ticket sales money go?

What is deadline for buying Mega Millions tickets?

The deadline for purchasing a Mega Millions ticket varies by state so don’t wait until the last minute. It can be 15 minutes to an hour or more before the actual drawing. For some third-party lottery apps, the deadline can be closer to two hours before the drawing. For example, Jackpocket in New Jersey has a deadline of 9:15 p.m. for the 11 p.m. ET drawing.

Click here to check the deadline for where you live.

What are my odds of winning the lottery?

Playing the Mega Millions can be exciting, but just don’t go spending those millions before you win.

The odds of winning the jackpot are 302,575,350-to-1. The odds to match all five white balls are 12,607,306-to-1.

Unlucky? Here are 13 crazy things more likely to happen than winning the lottery

What does cash option mean?

The major lotteries in the United States offer two jackpot payout options: annuity and cash.

The annuity option is paid out over time. There is an immediate payment and then 29 annual payments after that, increasing by 5% each year. The cash option is significantly lower than the advertised jackpot, but it is paid in a lump sum. You don’t have to wait decades for all the money.

Can a jackpot winner remain anonymous?

In some states, like New Jersey, you can win a lottery anonymously. That wasn’t always the case, but now winners are able to stay anonymous under a law that was signed by Gov. Phil Murphy. In other states, a winner’s name and hometown are a matter of public record. Check with your state lottery for more information.

What are the Top 10 Mega Millions jackpots?

Here are the Top 10 Mega Millions jackpots ever:

1. $1.602 billion, Aug. 8, 2023: Won in Florida
2. $1.537 billion, Oct. 23, 2018: Won in South Carolina
3. $1.348 billion, Jan. 13, 2023: Won in Maine
4. $1.337 billion, July 29, 2022: Won in Illinois
5. $1.128 billion, March 26, 2024: Won in New Jersey
6. $1.05 billion, Jan. 22, 2021: Won in Michigan
7. $656 million, March 30, 2012: Three winners in Illinois, Kansas, Maryland 
8. $648 million, Dec. 17, 2013: Two winners in California, Georgia
9. $552 million, June 4, 2024: Won in Illinois
10. $543 million, July 24, 2018: Won in California

What was largest U.S. lottery jackpot ever?

Here’s a look at the top jackpots won in the United States, between the Powerball and the Mega Millions lotteries:

1. $2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 7, 2022: Won in California
2. $1.765 billion, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023: Won in California
3. $1.602 billion, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023: Won in Florida
4. $1.586 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016: Three winners in California, Florida, Tennessee
5. $1.537 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018: Won in South Carolina
6. $1.348 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2022: Won in Maine
7. $1.337 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022: Won in Illinois
8. $1.326 billion, Powerball, April 6, 2024: Won in Oregon
9. $1.128 billion, Mega Millions, March 26, 2024: Won in New Jersey
10. $1.08 billion, Powerball, July 19, 2023: Won in California
11. $1.05 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021: Won in Michigan
12. $842.4 million, Powerball, Jan. 1, 2024: Won in Michigan
13. $768.4 million, Powerball, March 27, 2019: Won in Wisconsin
14. $758.7 million, Powerball, Aug. 23, 2017: Won in Massachusetts
15. $754.6 million, Powerball: Feb. 6, 2023: Won in Washington
16. $731.1 million,, Powerball, Jan. 20, 2021: Won in Maryland
17. $699.8 million, Powerball, Oct. 4, 2021: Won in California
18. $687.8 million, Powerball, Oct. 27, 2018: Two winners in Iowa, New York
19. $656 million, Mega Millions, March 30, 2012: Three winners in Illinois, Kansas, Maryland 
20. $648 million, Mega Millions, Dec. 17, 2013: Two winners in California, Georgia

Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. Must be 18+, 21+ in AZ and 19+ in NE. Not affiliated with any State Lottery. Gambling Problem? Call 1-877-8-HOPE-NY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY); 1-800-327-5050 (MA); 1-877-MYLIMIT (OR); 1-800-GAMBLER (all others). Visit jackpocket.com/tos for full terms and conditions.

BRIDGETON, New Jersey (WPVI) — Officials are warning about the dangers of swimming in unguarded waters after another person drowned in South Jersey.

The most recent incident happened at Sunset Lake in Bridgeton.

Officials say a 31-year-old man went to the lake with friends Sunday evening after lifeguards had left for the day.

SEE ALSO: Man who rescued 2 children from Great Egg Harbor River in Atlantic County has died

His friends called for help around 6:45 p.m. after they could not find him.

The man’s body was located by dive teams less than two hours later.

Local authorities say this incident highlights the risk people take when they enter the water after hours.

19-year-old dead after apparent drowning in South Jersey lake

Last week, a man died after rescuing children who were swimming in a prohibited area at Weymouth Furnace Park in Hamilton Township.

Another man died Saturday while swimming at Lake Garrison in Gloucester County.

The New Jersey Supreme Court on Tuesday reinstated a recommendation by the Department of Corrections that a jail guard be fired over his admission that he kissed an inmate, rejecting a decision by the Civil Service Commission that he face a six-month suspension instead.

The justices found the lesser punishment for senior correctional police officer Brian Ambroise was insufficient in light of the department’s stance that he could no longer be trusted as a corrections officer.

“We agree with the DOC that there is no situation more severe and contrary to the public interest than when a correctional officer tarnishes the institution by knowingly compromising the safety and security of himself, his fellow officers, and the inmates,” Justice Michael Noriega wrote for the unanimous court.

Their ruling will remand the matter back to the Civil Service Commission.

The Supreme Court’s decision is the latest in a saga of shifting penalties for the alleged abuses at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility, the lone New Jersey women’s prison the state is moving to replace. More than a dozen officers and supervisors were charged for severely beating inmates during 2021 late-night cell extractions prohibited by department policy. That same year, the prison entered into a consent decree with the Department of Justice after federal authorities found the facility failed to protect its inmates from sexual abuses there.

The Department of Corrections sought to oust Ambroise after an inmate, referred to as J.O. in the opinion and related court documents, told investigators they kissed and he performed oral sex on her in a closet.

Ambroise admitted to kissing her and to performing oral sex, though he later recanted the latter, saying he had no choice but to tell investigators “what they wanted to hear.” He also admitted to passing messages from J.O. to another inmate.

The department argued either of those findings ought to have been enough to dismiss Ambroise, alleging he admitted to violations that ended his ability to be trusted as a corrections officer.

Officials noted the department has a zero-tolerance policy for inmate abuse and undue familiarity with inmates. They said Ambroise had violated both and should be removed, adding he failed to report the kiss under a department policy that requires officials to detail unusual incidents.

Ambroise alleged he was retrieving supplies from the closet when J.O. entered and quickly kissed him on the lips. He said he did not report the incident because he did not believe it was unusual enough to warrant reporting. The justices disagreed.

“Intimate contact between an inmate and a corrections officer whether initiated by the inmate or the officer can never be anything but unusual,” Noriega wrote. “In this regard, Ambroise had no choice but to report that incident.”

Ambroise’s case stretches back to 2016 and has been investigated by the jail’s internal affairs unit and county prosecutors, heard by a jury that found Ambroise not guilty of sexual assault and official misconduct in 2018, and considered by an administrative law judge and the Civil Service Commission in the years since.

The administrative law judge in 2021 rejected the department’s request to remove Ambroise after finding J.O.’s testimony was not credible and tossing out the officer’s confession, saying it was coerced and involuntary because of the interrogation techniques used.

The judge ruled Ambroise should be suspended for 20 days after finding he failed to report the kiss.

On appeal, the Civil Service Commission extended Ambroise’s suspension to six months and awarded him back pay and benefits. An appellate court affirmed the commission’s decision.

The Supreme Court found previous adjudicators failed to lend proper weight to the department’s view of the severity of Ambroise’s offenses.

The high court’s justices said his failure to report the incident spawned questions about his trustworthiness that were only reinforced by his willingness to pass messages on the inmate’s behalf.

“His affirmative obligation — indeed, his duty — was simply to report the incident. His failure to do so risks the safety and security of the inmates, his fellow officers, and the institution,” Noriega wrote. “It amounts, in short, to an offense warranting termination of the officer’s employment.”